Patent Application
20140011465
The present invention relates to insert-molded components configured for mounting within the passenger cabin of a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to an electrical component which is insert-molded within an audio system trim panel for automotive applications.
Wireless communications is made possible by wireless electronic devices such as cellular telephones, pagers, FOBs, smart cards, personal digital assistants and entertainment devices, and two-way radios (e.g. family radio service or citizens band personal radio service (FRS) radios and general mobile radio service (GMRS) radios), to name a few. Each of these devices must include an antenna to transmit and receive information-bearing electromagnetic signals. The physics of radio frequency (RF) design require that the antenna present a proper conductivity and impedance, as well as the proper wavelength and shape. Of course, these antenna characteristics are a function of the wireless of the wireless electronic device itself. Accordingly, antennas come in many shapes, sizes and forms depending upon the intended application.
Most antennas consist of a combination of electrically conductive and insulating materials. Antennas may be fabricating using conductive materials such as wires, tubes, stamped metal, and similar components. Subsequently, the metallic component may be encapsulated inside a plastic cover or case panel. The plastic component may be formed over the metal antenna by over-molding or simply by inserting the metallic element into a plastic sheath. Of course, the antenna must be connected to the radio circuitry using some means. This connection is typically implemented by a built-in connector. An arrangement of wires may be employed. Either way, the connective means is disposed between the antenna input/output and the RF circuitry. After the connector is coupled to the input side of the antenna, it may be connected to the RF circuitry by solder or some other connective means.
Automotive audio systems have incorporated consumer wants like Blue Tooth connectivity as an example to enable hands free phones and connectivity for various take along devices that may be present in the automobile. To accomplish this connectivity in the audio product antenna elements are needed to allow reception. The placement is critical within the vehicle passenger compartment to realize optimal functionality. Typically, there may be an element connected to the keyboard of the radio or directly placed on the top surface of the keyboard that faces the passenger compartment.
This application can be difficult regarding ensuring the element is connected during assembly of the radio and often there is not an ideal area of the radio front trim plate to locate the element. On the circuit board the antenna may be a chip that takes real estate away from other componentry and also may not be able to be located in an ideal region for the best performance.
The radio/CD player assembly 10 includes a near field communication (NFC) technology system including a discrete antenna assembly 56 mounted to extension tabs 58 integrally formed with the front plate 24 by suitable screws 60 and washers 62. The antenna assembly 56 includes an antenna chip 64 mounted on a dedicated PCB 66 and electrically interconnected with associated radio frequency (RF) electronics carried on PCB 12 via an antenna cable 68 dressed through an opening 70 in the front plate 24. One of the screws 60 are employed to establish a ground path to the front plate 24. Note the large number of threaded fasteners.
The radio/CD player 10 of
Vehicle entertainment systems usually include an audio component such as a radio to enable receiving signals from antennas, contain various forms of playback mechanisms, and have the capacity to accept data from user devices like MP3 players. Typically, the radio has a decorative assembly that provides man-machine interface as well as displaying pertinent data relative to the selected media and audio settings. Also, the back-end or chassis is constructed of metal to provide various functions to ensure the performance of the radio in the vehicular environment. The structure to contain the mass from playbacks, the heat conductive properties, and the electrical shielding and grounding are just a few of the advantages to using the metal construction. Unfortunately, with the density of the metal, the disadvantage of added weight is a side effect of the typical construction. In a vehicle, added weight impacts fuel economy, as well as other hidden costs during assembly that can effect the cost of the product, like sharp edges of metal can be a potential hazard for assemblers in the manufacturing plant as well as added weight can limit the packaging of multiple parts in containers for inner and outer plant distribution.
Typically a molded plastic faceplate on the front of a vehicular radio has ideal cabin exposure for incorporating an antenna element. The proximity to the keyboard of the radio can facilitate an electrical connection favorable for the functional linkage of the antenna with the device requiring the antenna. There exists specialty plastics that have electrical conductivity achieved by special engineered resins that are moldable and can be processed via a two-shot process into the required physical parameters to provide the best reception for the required device. The first shot would provide the antenna element and the required geometry to provide a suitable interface with the keyboard for the necessary electrical interface. This would enable an efficient method of providing an antenna element that does not use unnecessary circuit board real estate and be in a relatively ideal location for cabin connection from a take along device like a cellular phone as an example due to the element being unobstructed and centrally located. The conductive portion of the faceplate is the antenna element being the first shot and the second shot would be the normal face or trim plate material like a polycarbonate (non-conductive) as an example that can cover the antenna shot for first surface acceptability and provide the overall faceplate/trim plate features and structure. The antenna element can be connected to the keyboard circuit board either inserting it by plating a slot or hole and having the detail design of the antenna element provide a contact interface to the plated slot or hole. Also a cylindrical hole could be provided in the antenna shot to receive a screw through a hole with ground pad that will be secured with the screw passing through the circuit board and into the conductive plastic material shot to electrically connect the antenna to the circuit board. Although an automotive application is described here, the present invention could also be used for other devices with a plastic enclosure that may have the antenna for a variety of applications including a global positioning system (GPS) as another example and requiring circuit board connection from the antenna element. The antenna could be molded in the conductive plastic resin and attached to either the circuit board or the trim plate first before the radio assembly is accomplished as an alternative method to this invention.
These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, which, along with the drawings, describes preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention in detail.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to illustrate and explain the present invention. The exemplification set forth herein illustrates an embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
The present invention represents an improvement of the device described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 7,733,659 B2 entitled “LIGHTWEIGHT AUDIO SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS AND METHOD” to Chris R. Snider et al. and assigned to the common assignee of the present invention. The entire specification and drawings of U.S. Pat. No. 7,733,659 B2 are incorporated herein by reference.
Referring to
In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the instrument panel opening 74 is located conveniently adjacent a designated operator seating position whereby input/output devices and displays of the audio system assembly 72 installed therein are easily accessible. Furthermore, the audio system assembly 72 is positioned near the centerline of the host vehicle and facing into the passenger cabin 80. So positioned, the audio system assembly 72 is effectively in a direct line-of-sight of the driver seating area, the front passenger seating area and the rear/mid-seat (left, center and right) seating areas of the host vehicle. The instrument panel opening 74 is configured to nestingly receive the audio assembly 72 which is front-loaded therein.
Referring to
The present invention can also be employed with a near field communication (NFC) device, which is a contactless, electromagnetic wireless technology designed to enable communications between two or more devices over very close distances, such as devices confined within the passenger cabin of a motor vehicle. NFC is based on a communication standard that specifies how two devices establish a peer to peer network in order to exchange data. NFC employs electromagnetic radio fields to communicate. This is in contrast to BlueTooth™ or Wi-Fi™ which use radio transmissions. However, as described herein, NFC is compatible with both technologies. It is inherently secure as the distance required is so close. NFC operates in two modes, “active” where both devices are generating their own RF fields, such as in the case where two mobile devices are being used to exchange data, and “passive” where one of the devices generates the RF field and the other device uses the field to power itself and communicate, such as where the active device is a “reader” and the passive device is a “tag”.
As will be described in greater detail herein-below, the radio frequency communication device embedded within the host vehicle audio system 72 will include an antenna 98 embedded within the ornamental escutcheon 82 so as to be effectively invisible to the vehicle operator/occupant.
Referring to
The ornamental escutcheon 82 defines a cavity 110 for positioning the display 88, push buttons 90, rotary knobs 92 and their associated electro-mechanical devices. A display-control PCB 112 is disposed within the cavity 110 overlaying the display and control elements and is spaced above the interior surface of the face plate 100 to effectively define a rear closure member of the trim panel assembly 78. The interior surface of the PCB 112 carries electronic components, conductive circuit traces and electro-mechanical operator input/output (I/O) devices. The outer surface of the PCB 112 carries light emitting diodes (LEDs) 114 and associated light pipes 116 operative to illuminate the trim panel 78. In addition, the outer surface of the PCB 112 carries additional circuit traces and an umbilical connector 117 for electrically interconnecting the circuitry carried by the trim panel assembly 78 with the circuitry and electro-mechanical devices carried within the associated audio system case.
A number of components carried by the PCB 112 and related application design details are not illustrated here for the sake of simplification and ease of understanding the present invention. A more through description is contained in in U.S. Pat. No. 7,733,659 B2 which has been incorporated herein by reference. Suffice it to say here that both sides of the PCB 112 tend, in application, to have an extremely high density of componentry and circuit elements carried thereon. This is problematic when placement of a radio frequency communication device antenna, such as antenna 98, in this area is required to ensure reliable RF interface with portable devices located in the host vehicle passenger cabin 80.
Referring to
The ornamental escutcheon 82 is preferably injection molded as a single piece formed of electrically insulative thermoplastic material such as that sold by Sabic Innovative Plastics under the trade name “Cycoloy”. Similarly, the antenna 98 is preferably injection molded as a single piece formed of electrically conductive thermoplastic material such as that sold by Chomerics unit of Parker Hannifin under the trade name “Premier”. The Cycoloy and Premier materials have a synergistic relationship inasmuch as they have substantially similar characteristic coefficients of thermal expansion. Preferably, the ornamental escutcheon 82 and antenna 98 are simultaneously formed by a “dual shot” insert molding process wherein the antenna element 120 and a portion of the feed 122 is fully encapsulated within the ornamental escutcheon 82 located between the inner and outer surfaces of the face plate 100 as best illustrated in
The antenna element 120 is illustrated as a beam that can be dimensioned within the overall size of the ornamental escutcheon 82 to correspond with the characteristic frequency of the RF system employed. The illustrated antenna 98 is dimensioned for optimized operation in the 2.4 gHz band. Alternatively, the antenna element 120 could be configured as a loop or other form.
Referring to
The display/control PCB 112 has a plated via 158 formed therein dimensioned to nestingly receive the antenna feed engagement tabs 122 and 124. The via 158 and engagement tabs 122 and 124 are preferably rectangularly shaped and dimensioned to effect a slip fit therebetween to affect a robust mechanical and electrical interconnection. Furthermore, the square shape of the antenna feed 122 and via 158 provides a “keyed” configuration, interlocking the antenna 98 to the PCB 112 to prevent relative rotation therebetween. The PCB 112 includes a conductive surface 160 forming a ground plane facing the antenna element 120. The conductive surface 160 is electrically isolated from conductive edge surfaces 162 of the via 158 which forms a portion of the antenna feed circuit. The surface 164 of the PCB 112 opposite the ornamental escutcheon 82 forms a mounting pad 166 in-circuit with the via edge surfaces 162, mounting pads 168 for electrical interconnection of various surface mount devices 170, and numerous circuit traces (not illustrated).
Referring to
Referring to
In one application contemplated by the applicant, the RF communication device is configured to enable wireless in-vehicle connectivity with hand-held BlueTooth™ devices configured to receive and/or transmit radio frequency signals in the 2.4 gHz band, nominal dimensions of the antenna element is 30 mm in length along its line of elongation and spaced 5 mm (Dso) from its associated ground plane.
The trim panel assembly 78 is built by first preforming the decorative escutcheon 82 as a single component with the antenna 98 insert formed or molded therein. The associated PCB 112 forming a portion or all of the associated display/control circuitry, audio system control circuitry, RF communication device circuitry, or a combination thereof is similarly preassembled offline. Final assembly is affected by placing the decorative escutcheon 82 on a work surface in an invented orientation with the antenna feed 122 directed upwardly. The PCB 112 is then manually aligned over the back surface of the face plate 100 wherein the antenna fees(s) 122 axially register with an associated shaped via(s) 158, plated or non-plated. The PCB 112 is then manually pressed downwardly until the lead surfaces 132 and 144 of engagement tabs 124 and 126, respectively, enter, and pass through their respective via 158. As final assemble continues, the plated edge surfaces 162 of the via 158 slidingly engage the tapered guide surfaces 134 and 146 of engagement tabs 124 and 126, respectively, and begin to deflect the head regions 128 and 140 inwardly toward central axis X-X as illustrated by arrows 154 and 156. This process continues until tab deflection is complete and the engagement tab head portions 128 and 140 fully emerge from far side of the PCB via 158. At that time, tab engagement surfaces 136 and 148 axially clear their associated via edge surface 162 and are immediately displaced outwardly, away from the axis X-X into the configuration best illustrated in
Although primarily intended for application in automotive audio systems, the present invention can also be employed in packaging navigation, object detection, telematics, system controllers, power supplies and other systems including electronic devices requiring shielding from electronic anomalies.
It is to be understood that the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and variations to provide the features and advantages previously described and that the embodiments are susceptible of modification as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Furthermore, it is contemplated that many alternative, common inexpensive materials can be employed to construct the basis constituent components. Accordingly, the forgoing is not to be construed in a limiting sense.
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the present invention can be configured for application with any number of types of portable digital devices. Furthermore, multiple antenna elements and feeds can be employed to accommodate the intended application(s). Multiple feeds can be arranged to provide exclusive positioning and support of the adjacent display/control PCB. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, wherein reference numerals are merely for illustrative purposes and convenience and are not in any way limiting, the invention, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the Doctrine of Equivalents, may be practiced otherwise than is specifically described.
